Who we are:

Special consultant and liaison to Kenya: Iddah Otieno is an Associate Professor of English at Bluegrass Community and Technical College, Lexington, Kentucky. She received her B.Ed. (English Emphasis) at Maseno University, Kenya, in 1994 before relocating to the United States of America where she earned her M.A. (English) at Eastern Kentucky University in 2001. Iddah is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kentucky’s Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation specializing in Higher Education. Her research interest revolves around comparative international education, with special emphasis in African Higher Education in the postcolonial era. Iddah is a dedicated educator with international experience which she shares with her colleagues and students. She has taught English in Africa and the United States for the past sixteen years. Iddah also directs the Kenya Faculty Exchange Program at Bluegrass Community and Technical College, the first linkage with Africa within the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). She has managed successful exchange visits between Maseno University and Bluegrass Community and Technical College since 2003. She serves on the Okela School Charities Board of Directors as a consultant. She lives in Richmond, Kentucky, with her husband, Dr. Tom Otieno, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, and her three children, Ephraim Ochieng’ Otieno (10), Christopher Odhiambo Otieno (7), and Rebecca Mikal Otieno (4).
Email: iddah.otieno@kctcs.edu

Liaison from Okela Village, Kenya: Eunice Ogal is our Kenya contact. She is a teacher at the Okela Primary School, a member of the Board of Governors (BOG) Okela Primary School, Chair of the Carol Hunt Women's Group, and church teacher at St. Stephen's Okela Church. She has done a wonderful job sending reports and updates, as well as providing pictures of the progress they have made.
Mailing Address: Okela Primary School P.O Box 54 Rageng'ni

Co-President: Carol Holzhausen Hunt received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Purdue University and Ball State University in Indiana. She taught at Ball State University, Moravian College and Allentown College in Pennsylvania, Eastern Kentucky University, and for 22 years, at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. She retired from BCTC in June 2008. Carol played many roles at BCTC: division chairperson, coordinator of General Education, co-founder of the Kenyan Exchange Program, and Coordinator of the Developmental Program. She specialized in cultural studies classes, teaching black literature, Native American literature, Women’s Studies, and Peace Studies, and emphasizing service-learning projects and global awareness. She received the state award for outstanding Developmental Educator in 1995, the Carolyn Beam Faculty Award in 1999, and was named the U.S. Professor of the Year for 2007 for the state of Kentucky, a national award given by the Carnegie Foundation. As part of the BCTC international exchange programs, she traveled to China and Kenya. With help from several of her students and guidance from her colleague, Iddah Otieno, she founded the Okela School Charities, which became a non-profit corporation in August 2008.
Email: cahunt01@gmail.com

Co-President: I am Melissa Adkins and currently live in Lexington,Kentucky. I have been in Kentucky for almost 7 years. I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful daughter. I have graduated from Bluegrass Community and TechnicalCollege in December of 2007 with an Associate Degreein Arts and an Associate Degree in Science. I am currently a full-time student at the University of Kentucky working on my BA in Mathematics. I now have the pleasure of working with an awesome group of ladies that are dedicated to helping the Okela Village in Kenya.
Email: OSC_Inc@live.com

Vice President: Veronica Heacox received her degree in nursing in 1999. She has specialized in cardiac recovery, ICU nursing, and post anesthesia care of patients. She also is a co-writer of a critical care guide for nurses. She is currently attending the University of Louisville with a pre-med focus. Veronica is passionate about charity work, and has been part of Okela School Charities since 2005
Email: vrblondeone@aol.com

Secretary: My name is Molly Hukle. I currently live in Lexington, Kentucky and have been here since 1992. I was born and raised near Toledo, Ohio. I have also lived in Pennsylvania, and in Seoul, South Korea for a short time when I was younger. I have been married since 2000, and have two children, a boy and a girl. I am going to school to be a nurse. I love to help people and feel nursing is my calling. I met the other ladies of this group during one of their fundraisers and was so inspired by what they were doing. They welcomed me into their group and have made me feel like I’ve been with them from the beginning. It is truly rewarding to work alongside such a wonderful and caring group of ladies. I feel so blessed to be a part of this organization and so proud of the changes that we have made in the Okela villager’s lives.
Email: mrbear22@gmail.com

Treasurer: My name is Erin Wellman. I was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. I am married to a wonderful and supportinghusband, and I have a beautiful step daughter. I recently graduated from BCTC in May of 2007, with anAssociate in Arts with a focus in business. I am pleased to be a part of such a wonderful organization, with some of the kindest women I have ever met.
Email: erinleonard2@hotmail.com

Board Member: Dr. Shirley Whitescarver is a professor of Anatomy and Physiology at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. She received her doctorate in Physiology from the University of Kentucky and after several years in research, she has been teaching allied health students Human Anatomy and Physiology for 15 years. In the summer of 2007 she was lucky enough to travel to Kenya and visit the Okela School. She is now committed to working to help improve the school and the lives of the students in Kenya.
Email: shirley.whitescarver@kctcs.edu

Board Member: Rebecca McCane is an assistant professor of biology at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. She lives in Berea, Kentucky, with her husband and three teenage children.
Email: rebecca.mccane@kctcs.edu

Board Member: Christine Herren was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. She completed her Associate in Arts at Bluegrass Community and Technical College and is now a student at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Arts Administration/Theatre. She has worked at Kentucky Educational Television Network as a development intern, responsible for tasks such as the planning and implementation of their annual summer celebration fundraiser. Her work there also included soliciting auction items for the fundraiser and writing thank-you acknowledgments to major donors. She has experience at the Lexington Children's Theatre as a development intern, helping with their capital campaign, season sponsorships, refurbishment campaign, and grant writing. Chrissy's volunteer experience includes the Bluegrass Youth Ballet, the Kentucky Ballet Theatre, and the Ballet Under the Stars Committee for Lexington's premiere outdoor ballet event. Her honors include Phi Theta Kappa, the International Honor Society, and the Dean's List.
Email: markherren@aol.com

Board Member: Michael Reed is Professor of Agricultural Economics and Director of International Programs for Agriculture. Reed holds a Ph.D. in economics (with a minor in statistics) from Iowa State University (1979); he has been at the University of Kentucky since 1978. His principal area of research and teaching is international trade in agricultural products. His research includes the effects of macroeconomic policies and exchange rates on U.S. food exports, the dynamics of consumer demand in various countries, and the effects of competition patterns on world agricultural trade patterns. Reed has the most widely used textbook in agricultural trade – International Trade in Agricultural Products; published by Prentice-Hall (also published in China) – and has published widely in the area of agricultural trade and commodity price analysis. He was also co-editor of a book entitled Competitiveness in International Food Markets (Westview Press). He has wide-ranging international experience. He was executive director of the Center for Agricultural Export Development during its life (1988-1995) and has been an international consultant for many organizations, including The Economist Intelligence Unit, Schaeffer Global Group, the US Agency for International Development, and various university and government organizations.
Email: mrreed@email.uky.edu

Board Member: Scott Adkins is a graduate student in English at the University of Kentucky.
Email: coming soon

Volunteer: Rebecca Glasscock's special interest is care for the earth. She teaches environmental studies (at UK), geography and peace studies (at BCTC). Prior to teaching, her career was as a government environmentalist in the state of Washington. Her education includes a BS in psychology from the University of North Alabama, a MSPH in environmental sciences and engineering from the University of North Carolina, and a PhD in geography from the University of Kentucky.
Email: rebecca.glasscock@kctcs.edu

Volunteer: Jaqui Linder is a talented artist who lives in Nonesuch, Kentucky. For sixteen years, she was an Associate Professor of English and Women’s Studies at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. She retired from teaching in 2005 but continues to give guest presentations for Women’s Studies and Peace Studies classes. She designed the Okela School Charities stationery and the “Certificates of Giving,” which will be offered on our website during holiday times.